Malts: Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, and Roasted Barley
Hops: Chinook
Available year-round in 500ml swing-top bottles.
Appearance: Pours the color of black coffee (really dark brown),but uh-oh, there is no head or effervescence.
Smell: Rich dark mocha aroma. Hints of dark fruit esters met by dark chocolate and slight cereal grain undertones.
Taste: Bittersweet chocolate and coffee dominate the taste. There’s an easily discernible astringency to it, but it wasn’t too intense to affect the overall taste. However, it did affect the flavors that lingered after each sip. Some sips had hints of vanilla which added some complexity to the beer.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full body but flat and therefore not smooth like other beers of its style.
Drinkability: Despite the plastic wrapper around the swing top being intact, somehow this beer lost all of its carbonation; the flavors were nice but it lacked some complexity and smoothness that I would expect from an Imperial Stout.
Brewery: Brasserie d’Orval S.A. (Abbaye de Notre-Dame d’Orval)
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Unique Characteristics:
Fermented with Brettanomyces (a wild yeast strain known for contributing funky flavors to beer)
Hoppier than the majority of Trappist Ales
Rating: 81/100
Disclaimer: After filming this review a friend suggested a that I buy another couple bottles and age them to see how the flavor develops. So hopefully I’ll re-review this fine beer some day.
This past Wednesday I had the privelage to interview Carol Stoudt, a co-founder of Stoudt’s Brewery (Adamstown, PA) and one of the pioneers of east coast craft beer while attending an event at Blind Tiger Ale House (281 Bleecker St. NY, NY). Check out this video to see what she had to say. Cheers!
Stoudt’s Brewing History:
Stoudt’s Antique Mall was built in 1972, dedicated to fine antiques and housing about 70 dealers. In 1975, Ed married Carol, and things really began to blossom. Carol, a kindergarten teacher from Adamstown, fell in love with Ed when she began working for him as a waitress. With a new, dedicated wife and two children, the couple started to build a new home together.
After a horrible fire that destroyed the antique mall and part of the restaurant, the young couple would not be discouraged. They moved on and rebuilt the business, re-opening in February of 1978.
The Beer Garten was also built in 1978, and Stoudt’s German Gemutlitlikeit Beer Festival was born. Since then, Ed and Carol can be seen wearing their German garb, dancing, toasting and having a good time with friends and family. The German feel of the place brings one back to the philosophy behind every one of Stoudt’s businesses. Ed and Carol have always been interested in their German heritage. But the Bier Garten was missing something….So the next step was finding a good beer in order to fill the void, to make it just like the old world.
Carol was a full time mom, raising their five children, Elizabeth, Carey, Edward, Laura, and Gretel. But after a few trips, and talking with likeminded beer enthusiasts and brewers, Carol and Ed started one of the first microbreweries in Pennsylvania since Prohibition. Ed and Carol loved the beer in Europe, but could not find a good beer brewed in the area.
The West Coast really started the craft brewing movement, and after meeting Ken Allen, Charlie Papazzi, Phil Owens, Karl Strauss, Russell Sherer, Roger Briess and many others at a Brewer’s Conference in Portland, Oregon, the Stoudt’s began to realize their destiny as craft brewers.
Originally getting into brewing in order to have some decent American beers at the beer festivals and the restaurant, Stoudt’s Brewing Company, born in 1987, would turn out to be so much more.
Perhaps Karl Strauss saw the beer in Ed and Carol’s blood. He decided to mentor the young couple and Scott Stover, their first head brewer, into the first brewer, Scott Stover was also influenced by Strauss.
Stoudt’s Brewing Company only brewed 500 barrels of beer, keeping it for in house use. The following year, in 1988, the Stoudts (with their love for antiques) actually bought and used a bottle filler from 1901, and bottled 750 ml. bottles. They bought the small filler from a brewing museum, and one can still see it today, retired near the stage in the BierGarten. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that it all worked. But it did, and one can witness the achievements today, as the small family owned complex of businesses are proudly working full force together.
Stoudt’s Brewing Company made its start with perfecting the German style Pilsner, Munich style Helles lager, Oktoberfest, and Honey Double Mai Bock. But as the years went on, Stoudt’s has been brewing up some tasty Pacific Northwest style ales, a true German Hefeweizen, English ales, and a Belgian Abbey Triple.
The bakery, Eddie’s Breads, another attempt of best accommodating the restaurant, was born in 1997, using beer in at least three signature bread recipes. Eddie’s Breads also makes bread and pastries for the antique mall, sells bread at the gift shop, and twists up the soft pretzels at the Bavarian Summer Fests. Ed had the idea of baking bread for his restaurant, and after a weeklong class in Poughkeepsie at the CIA, and buying some equipment from France, his daughter, Elizabeth decided to continue the trade. The bread is made with 100-year-old Levin from France, given by friend and fellow baker at Amy’s Breads.
Stoudtburg Village was the last major addition to Stoudt’s. The village was born in 1995 as Ed Stoudt’s mind was pregnant with thoughts and visions of old world quality. The village is a mock German style village with a cobblestone-laden square, nearby forests, and a storefront home in which each villager must run a small business. The idea of a small community living off of each others goods, especially in the heyday of the monotonous chains, strip malls, and big boxes is one that is surely catching on, as the village is in a continual state of growth. The antique mall, directly across from the opening gates of the village, has grown to house over 400 dealers, attracting fine furnishings, vintage clothing, jewelry, and artwork from all periods of the past.
1)Broo Doo: 7.0% ABV 80 IBUs
This beer is brewed during the hop harvest with a portion of unkilned or wet hops fresh off the vine. Apricot in color, Broo Doos nose has dominant orange, pine sap and floral notes, balanced by a glazed nut and toffee malt body. This celebration of the hop harvest has intense tropical fruit, citrus and spicy accents that showcase the complexity of the hops we all love. October release.
2) Black Sun Stout 6.5% ABV 50 IBUs
Black Sun has a nose of coffee, roasted malts and piney hops. This medium bodied stout has a broad depth of maltiness and a clean dry finish. December release.
3) Lord Admiral Nelson 58 IBU 6.8%ABV
Three Floyd’sversion of an ESB, this deep amber ale has a complex malt sweetness and pronounced apricot hoppiness. * Named after Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson.
4) Robert the Bruce 6.5 ABV 30 IBU’s
A bold Scottish ale with a complex malty body derived from roasted and crystal malts balanced with just the right combination of hops. This ale pours a deep ruby color, has a sweet malty nose with layered caramel and roasted notes and a full body. Robust yet smooth, Robert The Bruce is a malt lover’s delight.
1) 90 Shilling (Side Project 6): The Terrapin 90 Shelling gets it name from traditional scotch ales that used numbers and then the word Shilling to indicate the alcohol content in the beer. For example a 120 shilling scotch ale would have more alcohol than a 90 shilling would. I used the word Shelling instead to pay homage to the turtle.
This beer has a wonderfully malty aroma and a huge body the compliments a very smooth, velvety mouth feels. I used a touch of English East Kent Golding hops to balance out the sweetness of this fine elixir.
I hope you enjoy this Big Malty Monster Cheers! Spike
ABV: 7.3% O.G.: 18.9 F.G.: 5.9
Malt: 2-Row Pale, Munich II, caramel Pils, Wheat, Roasted Barley
Hops: East Kent Goldings
2) The Dark Side (Side Project 9): Number 9 in the Side Project series of beers is called The Dark Side. This Belgian Style Imperial Stout is loaded with subtle nuances of dark Belgian chocolate, roasted dark grains and just a hint of smokiness in the finish.
Fermented with real Trappist ale yeast, the Dark Sides complexity and depth will entice the most sophisticated stout drinker. I kept the hop bitterness to a minimum to enhance the flavor of the yeast and malt profile.
I hope you enjoy my latest creationcheers!
ABV: 8.5%
O.G.: 20.8
F.G.: 5.8
Malts: 2-Row, Crystal 120 L, Crystal 86 L, Chocolate, Black, Roasted Barley Hops: Pilgrim, Goldings
Having tried two of Pretty Things’ beers and really enjoying them I took the opportunity to meet and interview the man behind those man and some more great craft brewed beers Dann Paquette. The Pretty Things event I met Dann at took place at The Stag’s Head bar, which is on the east side of midtown Manhattan. What made this event unique was not only the beers being poured there, but one of those beers was premiered on cask. That beer was Fluffy White Rabbits, a hoppy Belgian Tripel brewed with Saaz, Sterling, and Amarillo hops. Along with the 3 year-round beers they were pouring (Jack D’or, St. Botolph’s, Baby Tree) was yet another special release beer from their new Once Upon A Time series where they resurrect centuries old beer recipes and brew them as close to the original recipe and brewing conditions as possible…February 27th, 1832 is a London XXXX Mild Ale first brewed on Brick Lane in London. Out of all five beers from Pretty Things that I tried that night, I enjoyed February 27th, 1832 Mild Ale and I look forward to buying at least 2 bottles of it once it hits NYC store shelves.
In this review I share New Holland Dragon’s Milk with my friend Roman who I’ve been converting to craft beer over the past few months. As such, I took the opportunity to give some useful info. on Imperial stouts and what the bourbon barrel typically adds to this already complex style. I was surprised by how drinkable both of us found this beer. Especially for Roman who before this review had not tried an imperial stout.
While at Blind Tiger Ale House, a popular NYC craft beer bar for a Goose Island event featuring 30 of their beers on tap; I was fortunate to meet Greg Hall, the brewmaster of Goose Island and chat with him for a few minutes about what makes his brewery unique.
Greg Hall began his brewing career in 1988, as assistant brewer at the Goose Island Brewpub on Clybourn Avenue – a job that earned only minimum wage. “The people answering the phones made more than I did,” Greg laughs. “My dad didn’t play favorites.” Son of Goose Island president John Hall, Greg was a natural in the beer business. Fascinated by his new work, Greg immersed himself in learning more about brewing.
After graduating from the Siebel Institute in 1989, Greg began an aggressive independent study of brewing techniques – touring craft breweries throughout the United States and traveling to Europe to study Old World methods. In the subsequent years, Hall made over a dozen trips to Europe – touring the best breweries of England, Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic and developing lasting relationships with the people who brewed there. By the time the company’s bottling operation began in 1995, Greg Hall had become brewmaster of Goose Island Beer Company.
Through Hall’s direction, Goose Island’s brewery flourishes, expanding its repertoire of both draft and bottled beers. Hall maintains a host of award-winning beers – including Honker’s Ale, India Pale Ale, Nut Brown Ale, and Oatmeal Stout. Hall has also spearheaded Goose Island’s line of “Reserve” beers, which have been widely lauded in craft beer circles, receiving a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for “Matilda” and a gold medal at the World Beer Cup for “Bourbon County Stout.”
Greg Hall and Goose Island support a number of local organizations – including Slow Food Chicago, the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Chicago’s Green City Market, and Friends of the River. Greg is a strong supporter of the City of Chicago and strives to “make the city a better place to live and drink beer.” Greg Hall lives in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood with his two children – Sofia and Henry.
Standing up to its Belgian Brewed brothers this Flemish Red Ale is complex, tart, and drinkable at 7.5% ABV. What struck me most was the overall complexity. Meaning, as I drank more the flavor notes present in the beer kept me curious to see what the next sip would bring. The Bruery has brewed some amazing beers in its short history and I look forward to reviewing more of their beers in the future. 91/100
This light- to medium-bodied deep copper to brown ale is characterized by a slight to strong lactic sourness. A fruity-estery character is apparent with no hop flavor or aroma. Flanders brown ales have low to medium bitterness. Very small quantities of diacetyl are acceptable. A very low degree of malt sweetness may be present and in balance with the acidity produced by lactobacillus activity. Roasted malt character in aroma and flavor is acceptable at low levels. Oak-like or woody characters may be pleasantly integrated into overall palate. Chill haze is acceptable at low serving temperatures. Some versions may be more highly carbonated and, when bottle conditioned, may appear cloudy (yeast) when served.
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